Dog tribute to Bosley mill staff
AGROUP of friends who work together to raise money for good causes have sponsored a guide dog in a tribute to the victims of the Bosley disaster.
Dennis and Karen Meszaros, Lorraine and Kevin Wilshaw, Graham Burgess and Dave Oakes , who grew up together in Macclesfield, decided they wanted to do something to raise money for charities and the community, so they formed the Friends That Do group.
They have raised more than £100,000 over two decades.
The latest fundraising mission has been to pay for a guide dog puppy named Bosley in tribute to those who lost their lives in the explosion in the village last summer.
Mill workers Dorothy Bailey, Will Barks, Derek Moore and Jason Shingler who died in the disaster. Jason’s body has never been found. Around 50 workers also lost their jobs.
The Friends That Do group decided to support the work of charity guide dogs after seeing the difference the animals have made to the lives of blind and partially-sighted owners. They paid for another dog Delaney in 2011, which belongs to Iris Peel.
This year, the friends organised their annual ten-mile charity walk around Macclesfield, attracting more than 100 walkers and taking in visits to ten pubs along the way. They also organised a golf day with 24 teams and a special visit from guide dog Delaney with Iris.
They raised £5,200 from the events allowing them to name another guide dog puppy under the Guide Dog’s ‘Name a Puppy’ scheme.
‘It’s a wonderful tribute to those who lost their lives’
The puppy who will be named Bosley has not been born yet but will be homed somewhere in Cheshire or Merseyside and the money will pay for the early stages of his training.
Lorraine Wilshaw, from Friends That Do, said: “After we named Delaney in 2011 and saw what a difference he had made to Iris, we decided that we would like to try and raise enough to name another puppy. With the help of all of the walkers and golfers we managed to reach our target and look forward to meeting the new puppy Bosley.”
Tracey Digby, community fundraiser for Guide Dogs, said: “We are delighted that the Friends that Do have chosen to support the life-changing work of Guide Dogs once again, naming a guide dog puppy is a wonderful tribute to those who sadly lost their lives in the Bosley Mill disaster.”
Visit guidedogs.org.uk for more information.